We meet at 6:30pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Farmington Community Library.

Topics Include:

Rust, a C/C++ Replacement?
 
C started its evolution from B in 1971 by computing legend Dennis Ritchie. Bjarne Stroustrup began C++ from C in 1979. These two programming languages have dominated systems programming for the last twenty years. However, C was created before the Intel's 8080 processor (1974) on a PDP-7 18-bit CPU with up to 144kb of RAM, a tape drive for external storage and "display" via a printer. This was before Ethernet, TCP/IP, and the Internet (1983), before the beginnings of Unicode (modern language/symbol representation - 1987), and before the Morris Worm (the first widespread computer security incident in 1988). The environments that created C/C++ are hardly recognizable by today's standards. Furthermore, C and C++ have a questionable security track record. Despite decades of focusing on secure coding and rigorous standards, Microsoft estimates that 70% of its security vulnerabilities are due to memory safety issues with C/C++. Concurrent programming in C/C++ is also notoriously difficult. With these and many other issues, are C and C++ still the best tools for the job? Enter Rust, a systems programming language aiming to be a C/C++ replacement. Rust offers similar performance to C/C++ while also providing memory safety, "fearless" concurrency, and modern language conveniences. Join us for an introduction to Rust, "a language for the next 40 years."
 
James Small is a Principal Architect consulting for large public, private, and government organizations. He helps clients develop and implement technology strategy and roadmaps. With over 20 years in the industry his experience also includes teaching networking and security at Macomb Community College as well as presenting at a variety of conferences and user groups. When he's not focused on fusing infrastructure and development he enjoys running and spending time with his wife and two boys.  
 

Plus we'll have our regular features: Jobs Looking for People, People Looking for Jobs, and much more! We'll also be meeting for dinner at the Buddy's Pizza in Novi (44225 W 12 Mile Road, Novi, MI 48377) after the meeting.